How to Watch Trump’s Detroit Speech and the Second Republican Debate

The second Republican presidential primary debate takes place on Wednesday night but former President Donald Trump will not be on the stage in California.

Instead, as with the first debate, Trump will be offering his own brand of counterprogramming to run during the same time slot as the debate. If you’re looking for details on how to watch the second GOP debate along with how to watch Trump’s speech to striking UAW workers in Detroit, here are all the details you need to know.

Trump is scheduled to take the airwaves first with his speech starting at or around 8 pm ET, though the timing is always subject to change. The GOP debate is not set to begin until 9 pm ET and is expected to run for two hours until 11 pm ET.

Trump Speaks to UAW Workers in Detroit

Debate Night: Trump Addresses Striking Auto Workers in Detroit, Michigan
When: Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023
Time: 8 pm ET
Where: Drake Enterprises in Clinton Township, Michigan
Live Stream: watch below

With Trump once again skipping the debate, the event at the Reagan Library will turn into a battle for second place, according to CNN:

The former president’s trip to Michigan comes amid his busiest stretch of campaigning since launching his bid for a second White House term last fall.

But his decision to skip another debate has turned the Simi Valley event into, in many ways, a battle for the second-place spot in a GOP primary in which Trump remains dominant in national and early state polling.

Trump has been spending more time in the early primary states as of late, especially Iowa and South Carolina, though his visit to Michigan is a nod to his Rust Belt victory in 2016.

Second Republican Debate – Fox Business

Fox Business Republican Primary Debate
When: 
Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023
Time: 9 pm ET – 11 pm ET (8 pm CT, 7 pm MT, 6 pm PT)
Location: Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California
Sponsors: Fox Business, Rumble, Univision, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation
Moderators: Dana Perino, Stuart Varney, and Ilia Calderón
Candidates: DeSantis, Ramaswamy, Haley, Pence, Christie, Scott (*Trump qualified for this debate but will not attend)
Live Stream: Rumble.comFoxBusiness.com

The second debate will have one less candidate on stage Wednesday night than the first debate, as CNN reports:

The 2024 GOP presidential debate stage is shrinking after the Republican National Committee announced late Monday that seven candidates are set to participate in the second debate – down one from their first clash.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum met the RNC’s heightened polling and fundraising standards for Wednesday’s debate, the party announced. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who appeared in the first Republican presidential primary debate, did not. Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, is skipping the event.

The debate, at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday and hosted by Fox Business Network and Univision, is taking place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

We will provide live streams right here for the debate as well as Trump’s speech in Detroit. Check back on Wednesday for further details.

Donate Now to Support Election Central

  • Help defend independent journalism
  • Directly support this website and our efforts

Nate Ashworth

The Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Election Central. He's been blogging elections and politics for over a decade. He started covering the 2008 Presidential Election which turned into a full-time political blog in 2012 and 2016 that continues today.

Email Updates

Want the latest Election Central news delivered to your inbox?

Election Central is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com